Change can be scary. Change can be exhausting. Change can be a lot of things — often necessary and good. But one thing that’s not changing ’round these parts any time soon: Bond. James Bond. The secret agent man whose sexy and thrilling cinematic adventures have lit up screens for decades, is on the cusp of having his new face announced.
And for anyone worrying about who might be taking up the mantel, have no fear: it’s still going to be a man.
In a new interview with franchise producers Barbara Broccoli and her brother Michael G. Wilson in The Independent, the daughter and step-son of late James Bond producer Albert “Cuddy” Broccoli have shared their views on what’s to come and how they’re handling the changeover from Daniel Craig to whomever comes to carry the gun and gadgets next.
For the siblings, James Bond has always been about change and a new perspective. “Every time we cast a new actor, the films change,” Wilson explained. “It’s the excitement of a new Bond, a new direction; every one of these people who took on the role offered something new and different.”
Who Will Play James Bond Next?
Many names have been thrown around the past few months as speculation continues to rise, including Theo James, the potentially too-old Henry Cavill, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. For years, Idris Elba was a top contender — if also controversial to a certain subset of fans given the fact that he is not a white man.
That said, the sibling guardians of the Bond franchise — one of the longest running film series in history — do want to take some chances on shaping the future of James Bond, thanks to the state of Hollywood as an industry.
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“People are playing it very safe,” Broccoli said of the current state of film-making. “I think in times of crisis like this, you’ve got to be brave. It’s certainly a new era in the movie business, so we’re trying to figure it out.”
“It’s a big decision,” she added.
One thing Broccoli and Wilson are not being all that brave about, however, is changing James Bond’s gender. The duo confirmed that 007 is going to continue to be a man, likely in his 30s, for at least the next 10 years worth of films. Per The Independent:
They’ve teased some things: It will be a man. He’ll likely be in his 30s. Whiteness is not a given. And whoever says yes is doing so with the expectation of at least a decade’s worth of films. One thing is certain: There’s going to be a period of adjustment for audiences in the transition. Every Bond had its detractors, especially at the start.
Since their father and Harry Saltzman purchased the rights to Ian Fleming’s spy novels in 1961, the 25 subsequent movie adaptations have grossed over $7.6 billion at the box office, globally speaking. And despite major changes, including new corporate overlords, the franchise has managed to stay a family business (of a sort) — no small feat, all things considered. But that’s what having a woman in charge will get you sometimes. Really makes you think, doesn’t it?
James Bond
Summary
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming’s death in 1964: Kingsley Amis, Christopher Wood, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks and Jeffery Deaver; a new novel, written by William Boyd, is planned for release in 2013. Additionally, Charlie Higson wrote a series on a young James Bond and Kate Westbrook wrote three novels based on the diaries of a recurring series character, Moneypenny.The fictional British Secret Service agent has also been adapted for television, radio, comic strip and video game formats as well as being used in the longest running and the second-highest grossing film franchise to date, which started in 1962 with Dr. No, starring Sean Connery as Bond. As of 2012, there have been twenty two films in the Eon Productions series, with a twenty third, Skyfall, due for release on 26 October 2012. The film will star Daniel Craig in his third portrayal of Bond: he is the sixth actor to play Bond in the Eon series. There have also been two independent productions of Bond films, Casino Royale, a 1967 spoof, and Never Say Never Again, a 1983 remake of an earlier Eon-produced film, Thunderball.The films are renowned for a number of features, including the musical accompaniment, with the theme songs to the films having picked up Academy Award nominations on several occasions. Other important elements which run through most of the films include Bond’s cars, his guns and the gadgets he is supplied with by Q Branch.